Machine for grinding internal diameter and end surface of workpiece

ABSTRACT

A grinding machine includes an automated control system, a machine base, a chuck device, and two grinding devices for grinding both of an internal diameter and an end surface of a workpiece automatedly. The machine base is provided with rails thereon. A chuck device has an independent power source and a rotary chuck. The chuck device is mounted on the rail of the machine base to be controlled by the automated control system for transverse movement along the rail. The grinding devices are mounted on the rails of the machine base to be controlled by the automated control system for longitudinal movement along the rails respectively, having an internal diameter grinding tool and an end surface grinding tool respectively for grinding the internal diameter and the end surface of the workpiece respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a machine tool, and more particularly to a grinding machine for automatedly grinding an internal diameter and an end surface of a workpiece with low cost and high efficiency.

2. Description of the Related Art

As the level of modern industrial machining is heightened, a variety of automated digital machine tools become more and more popular and important. Among them, the internal diameter grinding machine is one of the most popular ones. There are numerous similar grinding machines in the present market, but most of them have to change their cutters before grinding an internal diameter of a workpiece (e.g. bearing). The machine has to be stopped in the replacement step of the cutters to reduce the efficiency of production. As a result, there is still much space for improvement of the grinding machine.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional grinding machine, which includes two independent internal diameter grinding devices 10 and an end surface grinding devices 11 for grinding internal diameter and end surface of a workpiece respectively. However, the operator has to keep walking to and fro between the two grinding devices 10 and 11 for replacement, positioning, and calibration of the workpiece, thus reducing the efficiency of the whole operation and increasing the cost of the manpower.

FIG. 2 shows another conventional grinding machine 12, which has a machine base 13, an internal diameter grinding device 14 longitudinally movably mounted on the machine base 13, a chuck 15, and a hydraulic arm 16 pivoted to the chuck 15 and having a handle 18 and an end surface grinding disk 17 thereon. The operator can operate the handle 18 to move hydraulic arm 18, moving the end surface grinding disk 17 to grind an end surface of the workpiece. However, such grinding machine 12 still has many drawbacks as recited hereunder:

1. The operator still has to manually operate the handle 18 to move hydraulic arm 16 to grind the workpiece, increasing the costs of time and manpower.

2. Because the hydraulic arm 16 does not correspond to the end surface of the workpiece but from its upper side for machining, the operator has to manually adjust the position of end surface grinding disk 17 on the hydraulic arm 18 after grinding, increasing the costs of time and manpower.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a grinding machine, which can grind an internal diameter and an end surface of a workpiece. The grinding machine includes a chuck for longitudinal movement, two parallel grinding devices corresponding to the chuck, two grinding tools for grinding the internal diameter and end surface of a workpiece respectively automatedly.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a grinding machine, which increases the efficiency of grinding process without manual operation. The grinding machine includes an automated control system for controlling all of the steps of the grinding process, such that neither adjustment nor replacement step is manually necessary. The grinding machine of the present invention takes less time and fewer costs in the grinding process, and the automated control system replaces the manpower, such that the grinding machine of the present invention is a highly efficient machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional grinding machine;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another conventional grinding machine;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a process of grinding an internal diameter of a workpiece.

FIG. 5 shows replacement of a chuck, and

FIG. 6 shows a process of grinding an end surface of the workpiece.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 3, a grinding machine of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a machine base 20, a chuck device 30, two grinding devices 40 and 50, and an automated control system 60 for automatedly controlling automation thereof.

The machine base 20 includes a transverse rail 21 at an end thereof and two parallel longitudinal rails 22 and 23 at the other end thereof.

The chuck device 30 has a rotary chuck 31 with an independent power source and a transverse member 32 mounted on the transverse rail 21 of the machine base 20. The chuck assembly 30 is controllable by the automated control system 60 to move along the transverse rail 21 precisely.

The grinding device 40 is mounted on the machine base 20 and corresponding to the chuck device 30. The grinding device 40 has a longitudinal member 41 mounted on the longitudinal rail 23 of the machine base 20, and an end surface grinding tool 42 with an independent power source. The grinding device 40 is controllable by the automated control system 60 to move along the longitudinal rail 23 precisely.

The grinding device 50 is mounted on the machine base 20 and corresponding to the chuck device 30. The grinding device 50 has a longitudinal member 51 mounted on the longitudinal rail 22 of the machine base 20, and an internal diameter grinding tool 52 with an independent power source. The grinding device 50 is controllable by the automated control system 60 to move along the longitudinal rail 22 precisely.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the operator merely has to give commands to the automated control system 60 and then the control machine 60 will do the rest. First, the grinding device 50 is moved along the longitudinal rail 22, the chuck device 30 is moved along the transverse rail 21 to align the grinding device 50 with the transverse rail 21 precisely, and then the grinding device 50 is controlled by the automated control system 60 drive the internal diameter grinding tool 52 to grind a workpiece held on the chuck 31 automatedly.

Next, the automated control system 60 commands the grinding device 50 to move back to an initial position thereof to stop the internal diameter grinding tool 52 command the chuck device 30 to align with the grinding device 40 precisely, and then the grinding device 40 is controlled by the automated control system 60 to drive the end surface grinding tool 42 to grind the workpiece held on the chuck 31 automatedly.

After the end surface of the workpiece is grinded, the automated control system 60 commands the grinding device 40 to move back, the end surface grinding tool 42 to stop, and the chuck device 30 to move back. As the coordinated operations indicated above, the grinding machine automatedly grinds the internal diameter and the end surface of the workpiece in a single step. There is no manual operation in the grinding process for adjustment and replacement. The grinding machine of the present invention spends less time and fewer costs in the grinding process, and the automated control system replaces the manpower, such that the grinding machine of the present invention is a highly efficient machine.

Alternatively, the grinding devices each include a transverse member, and the machine base includes a transverse rail mounted to the transverse member of each grinding device, so that an interval between the grinding devices can be adjusted by the automated control system. As a result, there are greater grinding ranges of the end surface and the internal diameter of the workpiece for the grinding devices to grind. 

1. A grinding machine for automatedly machining an internal diameter and an end surface of a workpiece automatedly, comprising: a machine base having a plurality of rails mounted thereon; a chuck device having an independent power source and a rotary chuck, said chuck device being mounted on said rail of said machine base for transverse movement controlled by said automated control system, and two grinding devices mounted on said rails of said machine base and corresponding to said chuck for longitudinal movement controlled by said automated control system, said grinding devices having an internal diameter grinding tool an end surface grinding tool respectively for grind the internal diameter and the end surface of said workpiece respectively.
 2. The grinding machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said two grinding devices are controlled by said automated control system for transverse movement and adjustment. 